


this may be one perfect moment or maybe this is something that will last.

by pictureofsoph1sticatedgrace



Category: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, One Shot Collection, Stanford University, was this inspired by my recent trip to stanford? mayhaps.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-10 16:43:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20854988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pictureofsoph1sticatedgrace/pseuds/pictureofsoph1sticatedgrace
Summary: a collection of various r/n prompts





	1. there's still so much to learn (so many dreams to earn)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "it'll be fun. trust me."  
post series  
chapter title from "find my way/finale" from legally blonde the musical

She can’t quite believe she’s found herself in this situation, but Rebecca Bunch - Rebecca Bunch, in all her Harvard glory - is about to set foot in a place she swore she’d never be. Two years ago, she’d probably have said you’d have sooner seen her swearing off midnight bagels and donuts than see her here. But alas - one peep-toed heel steps out of the Tesla Model S, then the other. Nathaniel offers her an elbow, she loops her arm through with a smile, and off they go.

\--- 

Two weeks ago, Rebecca and Nathaniel lay basking in the glow of the late Saturday morning sunshine. It’s something they don’t get to do very often - Nathaniel is a notoriously early riser and Rebecca hasn’t had much of a choice but to become one since starting Rebetzel’s. When they get the chance to sleep in, they take advantage - Nathaniel dropping the occasional kiss to the top of her head; her tracing infinity signs on his chest and forever trying to snuggle in closer. On this particular Saturday, he’s the first to break the silence.

“So… I have a proposition for you.”

This gets her attention. She folds her hands on his chest, resting her chin there. “A slightly horrifying sentence, but go on.”

“I got an invitation in the mail yesterday. They’re adding a display of our championship team from my freshman year to the Home of Championships on campus and the entire team is being invited back for a ceremony.”

“Nathaniel, that’s amazing! You never told me you won a national title!” she exclaims. “Wow… that _almost_ makes the damn office ball bouncing worth it,” she mutters under her breath.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. Carry on. Why didn’t I know this?”

He shrugs. “I was a freshman. I didn’t see a ton of playing time. Plus, we were runners-up the next three years and you know… second is the first loser, as my father would say.”

Rebecca scoffs. “Alright, Abby Lee Miller.”

“Who?”

“Just… never mind. You’re incredible, you know that?” She drops a peck to his temple, kisses her way down his jaw, and finally finds his lips, her intentions crystal clear. He stops her before things escalate any further, nudging gently on her shoulder. She all but whines as she backs off.

“I never got to my proposition.”

“This had better be good because I really just wanna make out with that hot, national championship winning face right now.”

“Will you be my plus one?”

Rebecca’s eyebrows raise in disbelief. “Are you, Stanford, asking me - me, ‘Miss Ivy League’ Harvard - to be your date to a Stanford event?”

He shoots her a grin. “Yes, Harvard, I believe I am. It’ll be fun - trust me.”

“I dunno, Stanford,” she muses, dragging a foot up the side of his leg and hitching one of hers over his hip. That would take a lot of compromising my moral and ethical beliefs and I just don’t know if I - _oof!_”

She squeaks as he rolls them both over, pinning her wrists above her head before dropping his mouth to her ear, muttering “I think I can convince you to compromise.”

They pick up right where she left off.

\--- 

It’s a quick flight from LAX to San Jose, and a short drive to the hotel (ostentatious as the car, naturally) right off of the Stanford campus. They don’t have much time to get ready but they make the best of it - Nathaniel taking the bathroom first to don his suit and cardinal red tie, Rebecca following shortly thereafter to start the decidedly longer process of wrestling with Spanx and the zipper on her dress, ensuring her hair is done to perfection; making sure every lash is perfectly in place. Despite their constant bantering about who went to the better school, Rebecca is actually excited to see where Nathaniel spent the better part of ten years of his life - and she wants to look good.

When she finally opens the bathroom door, she’s just putting the finishing touches on her lipstick. Nathaniel can’t help but take a moment to gawk at the beautiful - nay, _stunning_ \- woman standing in front of him. Her dress is off the shoulder; pulling in to cinch at the waist before fanning out to her knees; her hair is pinned in a loose bun, a few curled pieces framing her face. He steps in towards her and loosely rests his hands on her waist.

“You look…”

Rebecca turns and quirks an eyebrow at him, and he can’t help himself.

“You’re in Cardinal red.”

That is not what she expected him to say… _but not entirely wrong,_ she thinks, the blush on her cheeks beginning to match the color of her dress.

“That is not why I’m in this dress and you know it. I just like the color red. It looks good on me.”

“You are lying through your teeth, woman. Admit it. Miss Harvard is wearing Stanford red. And _blushing_ about it.”

“Do you not recall that crimson is one of Harvard’s colors too? Maybe I’m staging a political protest.”

“What exactly are you protesting, Miss Bunch?” he whispers in her ear, a shiver visibly running down her spine.

“I…” 

“Don’t have an answer for that because you’re lying and you know it,” he laughs, turning her away from the mirror by the hips and going in for the kiss before he’s stopped by one red-polished finger.

“Uh-uh. You are not messing up my makeup before we even get there. I have to make a good first impression on your bonnet bros. Let’s go get in that fancy car you rented, or we’re gonna be late.”

And just like that, she’s got the upper hand again. She always manages to find the upper hand (he doesn’t mind). He huffs a sigh, a smile playing at his lips, and follows her out the hotel room door.

\--- 

Rebecca admittedly doesn’t know much about water polo, but she certainly can’t help the burst of pride in her chest when the display is finally revealed - the team picture is front and center, featuring a baby-faced Nathaniel holding up a number one finger beside the national championship trophy. The ceremony is short and sweet and the afterparty celebratory; she, of course, is brilliant at charming most everyone she meets, including Nathaniel’s teammates. He keeps her flute of champagne full and there’s even some dancing with a funk face or two thrown in for good measure. Even she’ll admit that she’s enjoying herself, and Nathaniel is obviously having a good time with his buddies, many of whom he hasn’t seen since that championship year. _That’s the best part of all this,_ she thinks. She’s just happy to see him happy. After a few hours, the celebrations die down and the former teammates begin to part ways once again. Every party must have its end, but Rebecca isn’t quite ready for the night to be over.

“Nathaniel?”

“Rebecca?”

“Will you show me around the campus before we leave?” she asks.

He gives her that soft smile that she loves so much; the one that he saves only for her. “Of course.”

She has to admit: Stanford’s campus is gorgeous. The quadrangle, with its sandstone archway and gorgeous church and Romanesque detailing, is one of the most beautiful places she’s ever been. Nathaniel walks her past old classrooms; the red tile roofing oddly reminding her of visits to her father in New Mexico. She laughs at his stories of terrible professors and ridiculous things his friends did that nearly got them expelled (never him, of course - Plimptons are exemplary students). He shows her the Avery Aquatic Center where he trained and played. He shows her the law buildings where he spent most of his time - newer, clearly, than the rest of the university grounds - and she pictures a younger version of him studying for his constitutional law or torts exams in the way that she did in the courtyards at Harvard. She’s struck, not for the first time, by how truly similar they really are, and links their fingers together. He gives her hand a squeeze.

As they finish their self-guided tour, they find themselves under a large pergola between a few of the law buildings. Rebecca never thought she’d describe a walkway on a college campus as romantic, but between the ivy leaves and twinkling lights above her, twining up and around the wooden beams, and Nathaniel’s hand in hers, she knows two things: one, it’s definitely possible for a walkway on a college campus to be romantic, and two… she swears she’s never been more in love.

She rises up onto her tiptoes and leans in towards his ear.

“Hey Nathaniel?”

“Yeah, sunshine?”

“I have a secret,” she says.

“Fire away.”

“I wore the red for you,” she admits with a whisper.

He smiles and turns to her. “Hey Harvard?” he says, tucking a tendril of hair behind her ear.

“Yeah?”

“You’re terrible at secret-keeping. But I love you for it,” he says, taking her hands in his own. “I’m honored.”

“Alright, get down here and kiss me,” she giggles, already dragging him down to her by the neck.

He couldn’t be happier to oblige.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fic Title from "Something That Will Last" from First Date the Musical. Thanks for reading - find me here and over on tumblr @pictureofsoph1sticatedgrace!


	2. say you were made to be mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "just follow me. I know the area."  
post series  
chapter title from "rewrite the stars" from the greatest showman  
huge shoutout for @justwantedtodance for the inspo for this one!  
also we're two for two on murder house mentions in fictober completely unintentionally. spooky!

“Let’s go for a walk.”

This in itself is not an unusual request from Nathaniel, given his penchant for pretty much any kind of exercise.

Rebecca still loathes exercise with every fiber of her being, don’t get her wrong. It’s taken some (and by some, she may mean several months of) prodding from Dr. Akopian about how exercise is proven to raise serotonin levels and your mood level and blah blah blah, but Rebecca has found that as per usual, Dr. Akopian is right (as she always seems to be). She’s also found that with the right person by your side, it can actually be - dare she say it - enjoyable. She’s come to enjoy the sunshine soaking into her skin, and finds that it really can help clear her mind.

Nathaniel, naturally, takes to the new development with gusto. When the California sun isn’t blisteringly hot, the two can often be found taking a stroll around the grounds of the office park - Rebecca discussing her latest pretzel flavor idea and Nathaniel filling her in on all the latest happenings with the crew at Mountaintop as they amble past the fountains. When it’s just too warm, they’ll wait until the sun starts to dip below the mountains after they get home from work before beginning their walk.

But 10:30 at night? This is a new development.

“Nathaniel, you are aware it’s 10:30, correct?” Rebecca asks incredulously.

“I can read a clock, yes.”

“It’s dark out!”

“Oh, come on. This coming from the girl who broke into a cemetery in the middle of the night and nearly got arrested. Since when are you afraid of the dark?”

“I’m not afraid of the dark!” she squeaks. “It’s just late and this is spontaneous and not Nathaniel-like and also I’d like to not get murdered.”

“Do you trust me?” he asks, lifting his eyebrows in question.

“Of course.”

“Then just follow me. I know the area - unlike someone I know, I do _not_ live in a famous murder house neighborhood, so we will be perfectly safe on the way to and from our destination.”

This piques her interest. “There’s a destination? What do you have planned, Plimpton?”

“You’ll see,” he says, grabbing a blanket from the arm of his couch.

—-

Their walk takes about fifteen minutes and Nathaniel is right - they both make it there in one piece. Despite having taken walks around Nathaniel’s apartment before, they’ve never ventured quite this far out, and the little park that Nathaniel has lead them to is quaint and quiet and beautiful, the mountains rising up just off in the distance. He laces their fingers together and leads her through the gates.

“I run out this way sometimes, and every time I’ve passed this park I’ve thought about how we should come out here,” he says, suddenly a little self-conscious. “When I saw the sky was going to be clear tonight, I thought maybe we could come out here and stargaze.”

Rebecca’s eyes light up brighter than any star in the West Covina Sky. “Nathaniel Plimpton, you are _such_ a romantic!” she says, unlacing their fingers and opting to loop both of her hands around his neck instead.

“That’s our little secret. You tell no one,” he deadpans before busting out into a grin.

“This is wonderful. And so, so sweet. Thank you.” She rises up onto her tiptoes to give him a quick peck on the lips before helping him to spread out the blanket.

It really is the perfect night for stargazing - the sky is crystal clear and they’re far enough away from Los Angeles that the city lights don’t interfere. The mountains in the distance only add to the ambiance. 

They both lie down on the blanket and Rebecca immediately snuggles into Nathaniel, resting her head on his chest, taking comfort in the sound of his heartbeat thumping steadily under his chest. His hand immediately finds her hair, carding his fingers through and occasionally massaging her scalp. To both, it feels like coming home. They both cast their gaze upward. Neither of them know much about astronomy or constellations, but they’re able to find both dippers and even Orion. Mostly, they just enjoy each other’s quiet company

“Nathaniel, look! A shooting star!”

“Rebecca, that’s an airplane.”

“Oh.”

A silent moment passes, but she can’t help but dissolve into giggles, and he can’t help but laugh right along with her. She gazes up at him, nothing but love shining behind her eyes. He swears he can feel his heart squeeze in his chest.

“I love you, Rebecca.”

“I love you too, Nathaniel,” she murmurs, her lips finding his, her whole body melting into the kiss; him feeling like he’s holding the whole world between his hands.

When they finally break apart, she takes a moment to nudge his nose with hers.

“Hey Nathaniel.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s like you’re the Big Dipper and I’m the Little Dipper.”

He kisses her forehead with a laugh. “Whatever you say, Little Dipper.”

She snuggles in a little closer, and they both look skyward once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for following along! Find me here and over on tumblr @pictureofsoph1sticatedgrace!
> 
> Fic Title from "Something That Will Last" from First Date the Musical  



End file.
